Electric sign.



Patented May 18, 1915.

H. S. WILLIAMS. ELECTRlC SI GN.

APPLlCATlON FILED JULY 18, 19l4 HARRY S. WILLIAMS, OF ITHACA, NEW YORK.

nnuc'rmc SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Application filed July 18, 1914. Serial No. 851,766.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY STANFORD Wu.- LIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ithaca, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in electric signs and analogous forms of illuminating devices and has for its main object to rovide, in connection with a plurality of enses carried by one panel of a casing, a plurality of reflectors, one reflector being carried directl by each lens, whereby to greatly intensi y the rays of light projected therefrom.

In'carrying out the above end, the invention aims to provide an extremely simple and efficient structure which may be inexpensive to manufacture and to so construct the reflectors as to allow the incident rays of light radiating from a source within the casing, to be projected against all of the reflectors whether the same be closely or widely spaced.

With the above and minor objects in View, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination herein described and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein I Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of an electric sign constructed in accordance with my invention. Flg. 2 IS a vertical transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken substantially upon the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. i is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;'Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4, and, Figs. 7 and 8 are detail vertical sections showing slightly modified features of construction.

'In' the accompanying drawings, I have shown a portion of an upriglit casing 1 Whose forward side is formed by the provision of a removable panel 2, which-panel may be provided with any suitable number of circular openings 3 for producing the desired characters upon said panel, when the lights 4 Within the casing are illuminated.

Having their rounded outer portions 5 projecting through the openings 3, is a plurality of plano-convex lenses 6 which are here shown as provided upon their edges with annular laterally projecting flanges 7 which contact with the inner side of the panel 2 and which are held in position by suitable clips 8 carried by said panel or by other appropriate means. Projecting rearwardly from the flat inner surface of each lens 6 is a reflector attaching stud which may be in the form of a headed pin 9 as seen in Fig. 5, may be cast integrally with the lens as seen at 10 in Figs. 7 or-may be in the form of a screw 11 as seen in Fig. 8. If a headed pin 9 or a screw 10 be employed, it will be seen that the heads thereof are embedded in the lenses at the time of manufacturing the latter, while the shanks thereof extend rearwardly and constitute the above 1 mentioned studs. Adapted to. be supported by the pins9, the studs 10 or the screws 11, as the case may be, is a plurality of substantially cone shaped reflectors 12, said reflectors being here shown as formed of single pieces of sheet metal to'produce a hollow structure, although this feature of construction need not be followed too closely. The reflectors 12 are illustrated in the present embodiment as having openings 13 in their apices, said openings receiving the rearwardly projecting studs on the lenses 6. With the parts in this position, the studs and lenses-may be united in any suitable manner as be soldering as indicated at 14 in Fig. 5, it being understood that, should the screws 11 be employed, the walls of the openings 13 will be threaded for engagement-with the threads thereof. The three forms for attaching the reflectors, shown inthe accompanying drawings is merely illustrative of a number of ways in which said reflectors may be rigidly secured to said lenses.

As more clearly seen in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, the opposite edges of the base of each reflector is removed by notching the same as indicated at 15, one notch being located upon the upper edge of each reflector While the other notch is located at the lower edge thereof. This provision is made in order that the incident rays of light radiating from the lights 4. may be projected upon all of the reflectors whether the same be closely or widely spaced, as clearly indicated by the dot and dash lines in Fig. 2. In 4 order to facilitate the correct reflection of light from the reflectors 12, one light 4; is preferably located at the upper end of the casing behind each character thereon While another light is located at the lower end thereof in rear of each character. I

With the parts as above described the operation of the device is as follows: The lights 4 which may be electric globes or. other suitable light furnishing sources are ignited in a manner forming no partof the present invention. The rays of light will be now projected therefrom onto the reflectors 12 from which the reflected rays now project through the lenses 6. By the provision of the numerous reflectors 12 located as above 'sfiTforth the projected rays are efficiently intensified, thereby producing a more brightly illuminated sign than is possible with theordinary form of bulls-eye or lens.

1 I have described and illustrated but one form of reflector for carrying out the objects of the invention and have likewise described and illustrated a lano-convex lens but it will be understood thatany suitable form of lens or any desired type or reflector could well be provided without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an illuminating device, a lens, and

a reflector having as its sole means of support, an attachment to the axis of the lens.

2. In'an illuminating device, a lens, a reflector, and-a supporting element projecting from the axis of thelens and secured to said reflector.

3. In an illuminating device, a lens, a stud projecting/rarwardly therefrom, and a reflector in rear of the lens, said reflector having an opening receiving said stud.

4. In an indirect radiation illumination device, a lens and a reflector carried thereby, in combinationv with a source of light spaced laterally from the axes of the lens and reflector.

5. .In an illuminating device, a lens and a substantially cone-shaped reflector in rear thereof and having a portion of its base re- 'moved at one edge.

8. In an illuminating device, a lens and a substantially cone-shaped reflector in rear thereof and having its apex joined thereto, a portion of the base of said reflector being removed at one edge.

9. In an illuminating device, a lens and a hollow. substantially cone-shaped reflector in rear thereof and carried thereby, a por-- tion of the base of said reflector being removed.

10. In an illuminating device, a lens and a} hollow cone-shaped reflector in rear thereof;

and having its apex joined thereto.

11. In an illuminating device, a lens, a hollow substantially cone-shaped reflector in rear thereof, and having an opening in its apex, said apex being located adjacent the lens, a stud projecting rearwardly from said lens through said opening and into the interior of the reflector, and means within the reflector for securing the same and the stud in fixed relation.

12. The combination with a casing, a removable display panel therefor, and aplurality of lenses carried by said panel, of a plurality of independent reflectors in rear of the lenses and removable therewith and with said plate. v

13. The combination'with a casing, a removable display panel therefor, and a plurality of lenses carried by said panel, of a plurality of independent substantially coneshaped reflectors in rear of the lenses and having their apices joined thereto.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY S. WILLIAMS. Witnesses:

J. RALPH Hoes, J. A. GRIESBAUER. 

